The National Weather Service forecast calls for afternoon high temperatures to be at least 80 through Tuesday, with morning lows near 60. The normal temperatures for this time of year are 66 for the high and 42 for the low.

The reason for the warmer weather: "There's a building ridge of high pressure," said Zaaron Allen, a weather service meteorologist in Jacksonville. That rain-blocking ridge should build through the middle of next week, giving Marion County a taste of spring weather in January.

The nice weather piggybacks on an already warmer-than-normal January, which has featured average daily temperatures about 6 degrees above normal so far this month.

However, since the beginning of winter on Dec. 21, a span of 19 days, the average daily temperature has been normal overall.

That's because the average daily temperature for the last 11 days of 2012 was 3 degrees below normal for the period. When those temperatures — the below-normal last part of December and the above-normal first part of January — are combined, the average daily temperature was normal for the first 19 days of winter.

The National Weather Service issues the official forecast for Ocala. The Star-Banner uses AccuWeather forecasts on its weather page. Sometimes those forecasts can differ significantly.

The warmer weather comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2012 was the hottest year since weather records were recorded more than a century ago.

The average daily temperature of the continental United States was 55.3 degrees, 1 degree above the previous record of 54.3 set in 1998. The average daily temperature in 2012 was 3.2 degrees higher than the 20th-century average, the NOAA report noted.

Also this week, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission researchers announced that manatee deaths in 2012 were the lowest in three years, down 13.5 percent from 2011. Researchers partly attributed the decline — from 453 in 2011 to 392 in 2012 — to milder winter temperatures.

Joe Callahan can be reached at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

<p>Time to get back out those shorts, shut off the heat, open the windows and enjoy the warmth, as temperatures are predicted to be 14 to 18 degrees above normal for the next week.</p><p>The National Weather Service forecast calls for afternoon high temperatures to be at least 80 through Tuesday, with morning lows near 60. The normal temperatures for this time of year are 66 for the high and 42 for the low.</p><p>The reason for the warmer weather: "There's a building ridge of high pressure," said Zaaron Allen, a weather service meteorologist in Jacksonville. That rain-blocking ridge should build through the middle of next week, giving Marion County a taste of spring weather in January.</p><p>The nice weather piggybacks on an already warmer-than-normal January, which has featured average daily temperatures about 6 degrees above normal so far this month.</p><p>However, since the beginning of winter on Dec. 21, a span of 19 days, the average daily temperature has been normal overall.</p><p>That's because the average daily temperature for the last 11 days of 2012 was 3 degrees below normal for the period. When those temperatures — the below-normal last part of December and the above-normal first part of January — are combined, the average daily temperature was normal for the first 19 days of winter.</p><p>The National Weather Service issues the official forecast for Ocala. The Star-Banner uses AccuWeather forecasts on its weather page. Sometimes those forecasts can differ significantly.</p><p>The warmer weather comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2012 was the hottest year since weather records were recorded more than a century ago.</p><p>The average daily temperature of the continental United States was 55.3 degrees, 1 degree above the previous record of 54.3 set in 1998. The average daily temperature in 2012 was 3.2 degrees higher than the 20th-century average, the NOAA report noted.</p><p>Also this week, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission researchers announced that manatee deaths in 2012 were the lowest in three years, down 13.5 percent from 2011. Researchers partly attributed the decline — from 453 in 2011 to 392 in 2012 — to milder winter temperatures.</p><p><i>Joe Callahan can be reached at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.</i></p>